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Insecticidal activity of some plant essential oils against the Opuntia cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae)

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Abstract

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) is largely cultivated in Morocco because of its remarkable adaptation to arid and semi-arid climates and significant economic importance. However, in recent years, a severe invasion of these species plantations by Dactylopius opuntiae has been detected in many regions in Morocco. The present study evaluates under laboratory conditions the toxicity of some Moroccan plant essential oils (EOs) against the mobile stages (adult males and crawlers) of D. opuntiae in direct contact and fumigation bioassays. All EOs tested were found to be toxic to adult males and crawlers of D. opuntiae, but with variable degrees. Thymus vulgaris EO exhibited the highest activity against adult males in both contact and fumigation assays. EOs obtained from Mentha suaveolens subsp. timija, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Mentha piperita, Myrtus communis and Laurus nobilis expressed a moderate activity. Rosmarinus officinalis displayed relatively the weakest insecticidal effect. The results suggest that these EOs, particularly those obtained from T. vulgaris and C. ambrosioides, could present potential plant-based insecticidal agents against this prickly pear cactus pest.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the “Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts et à la Lutte Contre la Désertification (HCEFLCD)” for permission to collect the plant materials from the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change, Faculty of Science, Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco

    El-Mustapha Laghzaoui, Latifa Kimdil, Omar Er-rguibi & El Hassan El Mouden

  2. Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning, Faculty of Science, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco

    Abdessamad Aglagane

  3. Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnologies, Agrosciences and Environment, Faculty of Science Semlalia, (Labeled Research Unit-CNRST N°4), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco

    Bouchra Soulaimani & Abdelaziz Abbad

  4. Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Guéliz, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco

    Imane Abbad

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  1. El-Mustapha Laghzaoui
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  2. Abdessamad Aglagane
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Laghzaoui, EM., Aglagane, A., Soulaimani, B. et al. Insecticidal activity of some plant essential oils against the Opuntia cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae). Phytoparasitica 50, 901–911 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-022-01013-2

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